People of Britain: Tell your MP you want to see a debate on the Digital Economy Bill BEFORE they vote on it
Get them on the record before they trash your digital media rights
Reposting from Cory Doctorow’s post here, and 38 Degrees post here. Ah, the echo chamber…
The House of Lords failed to take reasonable action on the threat posed by the Digital Economy Bill and let it slide back into the House of Commons for final amendments and approval. Of the three main parties, it seems only the Liberal Democrats have started coming around to seing how bad this is for UK’s citizens and its actual real-world digital economy. They at least want to retract the bad bit they’d originally submitted, but that would still leave an incredibly flawed law.
Cory says, “38 Degrees is asking Britons to write to their MPs and ask them to call for a full debate on this law before they vote on it. It seems stupid that we’d have to ask our elected reps to actually give sweeping proposals consideration before turning them into law, but there you have it. No matter what side you come down on for the Digital Economy Bill, is there anyone who wants law to be made without debate.”
38 Degrees says, “Peter Mandelson is rushing to force the Digital Economy Bill into law before the General Election. The draconian law is opposed by industry experts, internet service providers (like TalkTalk and BT), web giants including Google, Yahoo and Ebay and even the British Library. Despite all this opposition, the Government is trying to rush it through quietly just before the election without proper debate – without a chance for us to voice our opposition. Email your MP now and urge them to stop the government rushing this law through.
There’s plenty to oppose in the Digital Economy Bill, it gives the government the ability to disconnect millions. Schools, libraries and businesses could see their connection cut if their pupils, readers of customers infringe any copyright. But one group likes it, the music industry. In a leaked memo a few days ago they admitted the only way to get the bill through would be to rush it through without a real parliamentary debate. Let’s stop that happening.
Write to your MP now urging them to stop the Government rushing the bill through. It’ll take you less than 2 minutes. Just enter your postcode above (so we can find your MP) and click “participate” to get started.”
I say: If you want to keep free wi-fi available in your cities and towns, don’t like the idea of content being blocked because of out-of-date copyright restrictions, don’t like the idea of millions of people being judged guilty of crimes until they prove theirselves innocent and don’t want to see Hollywood stymie innovation and technological advancement simply to maintain inflated prices on DVDs in Zone 2, then its in your best interest to see this bill killed. It’s bad for the economy, free speech and you.
<—- Possible template to base your letter to your MP on —->
Use www.writetothem.com for speedy delivery
You can also contact them through 38 Degrees
Dear [Insert MP Name]
I’m writing to you today because I’m very worried that the Government is planning to rush the Digital Economy Bill into law without a full Parliamentary debate.
The law is controversial and contains many measures that concern me. The controversial Bill deserves proper scrutiny so please don’t let the government rush it through. Many people think it will damage schools and businesses as well as innocent people who rely on the internet because it will allow the Government to disconnect people it suspects of copyright infringement.
Industry experts, internet service providers and huge internet companies like Google and Yahoo are all opposing the bill – yet the Government seems intent on forcing it through without a real debate.
As a constituent I am writing to you today to ask you to do all you can to ensure the Government doesn’t just rush the bill through and deny us our democratic right to scrutiny and debate.
[Insert your Name]
I have no emotional obligations to the practices of an ancestral religion and even less to the small, militarist, politically aggressive nation-state which asks for my solidarity on racial grounds.
The whole point of this law is that government can lean on ISPs to have any web site they want closed down. This means all and any criticism of government, bar a few token emasculates, will be removed from the web. Copyright is just the excuse this greater desire hides behind.
You’d think, really, they’d know better. If law is made without benefit of discussion or debate we immediately become a lawless nation – anything will go in such a place. How long do these scheming malevolent incompetents imagine think they can survive in such an environment?
BB